Puzzles
by sparkybitterness
Summary: A snowstorm, no trains running, and Hawkeye-sensei's not home. Will Roy and Riza finally become friends? Mangaverse about when they were kids.


A/N: I love puzzles and wrote this story out in my head when I was working on mine. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Roy and Riza. looks depressed

* * *

A blonde-haired girl in her teens made her way up the winding stairs. She'd received to bad calls in a row. First, it was her father, telling her that he had to stay in Central for longer than expected due to the sudden snowstorm. Then, the train station had called and said Roy Mustang's train couldn't go anywhere. That meant he'd have to stay here for his winter holiday.

Riza knocked on his door. Standing there, she thought that he'd probably snuck out to see his girlfriends before he left home. She stopped knocking and turned to go. The door sprang open and she jumped. Turning around, she saw the other teenager living in the house. His dark hair stood straight up. Riza could see why the girls in her grade giggled and blushed when he went by.

Roy looked just as surprised to see Hawkeye-sensei's daughter. Normally, she chose to avoid him. He guessed it made things easier for her. "What?" He hadn't meant to sound rude. He was tired and still had packing to do. "Sorry." He rubbed his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry to bother you, Mister Mustang, but…"

"It's Roy. No 'Mister Mustang.'" He sighed. There were very few times he had told this girl, but he still had to repeat it.

"Sorry. Anyway, the train station called. Due to the snowstorm, it won't be going anywhere." She smoothed her short blonde hair.

"Oh, okay. Is that it?" He thought he'd heard the phone ring. Great, now he had to go unpack what little he had packed before.

"My father called as well. He'll be staying in Central for the same reason."

"Okay." So, he was stuck in a house that wasn't his with his teacher's daughter all alone. Riza had scarcely said 50 words to him in the five months he'd been here. He was in for a long, boring time.

About an hour later, Roy realized he was hungry. He was going to have to survive with a sandwich. He gathered up his alchemy texts in a messy pile and went downstairs. On his way back upstairs from the kitchen, he passed the living room. Riza was in front of the fireplace on the floor, working on something. Roy hoped it wasn't the parts of a gun again. Curious, he went in. Hearing something, Riza turned her head around.

"What are you doing?" Roy stood over her. It looked like she'd broken a puzzle and was attempting to put it back together. "Why'd you break and cut up a picture?"

Riza couldn't help it. She laughed a little before saying, "I didn't break or cut up a picture. It's called a puzzle."

"A puzzle?" He raised his eyebrows at that, but curiosity got a hold of him. He crouched next to her and the puzzle.

She looked a little surprised he had moved onto the floor next to her. "Yes, a puzzle. See," Riza slid a piece in next to another one and it stuck together, "those pieces go together."

"I see." Roy wanted to try it now. It looked pretty easy. "Can I help?" It wasn't like he had a lot of work to get done. Anything he could do needed Hawkeye-sensei's guidance.

"Sure." She moved the box of little pieces closer to him, so that it sat between them. He grabbed a piece and tried shoving it in against another one. "Mister Mustang," Riza's amber eyes met his frustrated graze, "you can't force the pieces together." She took it from his hand and placed it in its proper place.

"How'd you do that?"

"Match up the color and shapes. It makes it easier."

"Oh, okay." He searched through the box with quick eyes, scanning every piece. Roy selected his piece and placed it with less force in its correct spot. "Hey, look, I got one."

"Good job." Riza looked unimpressed, but then again, she'd already completed about half the puzzle. Smiling, he grabbed another piece. His smile brought one to her face.

About an hour later, Roy put in the last piece and looked at the entire picture. It showed a farm house in the summer. Roy looked out the window, where the sky was spitting snow. "Sure would be a nice place to be right now." Roy hated the cold and the snow.

Riza nodded softly. Roy had noticed she didn't talk much. He defiantly liked her anyway, he decided. All of his self-proclaimed 'girlfriends' thought she was weird. Roy disagreed heartily. He'd much rather spend time with Riza Hawkeye then any of them.

"Want to do another one?" Riza asked.

"Sure. I'd like that."

"I'll go get another one, then." She left the room.

_No_, Roy thought, _she wasn't weird. _She was her own person. Yes, she was puzzling, but it wasn't a bad puzzling. He was glad to have finally found a friend in the house.

When Hawkeye-sensei opened the door after 2 days of delayed trains, he was surprised not to hear the footsteps of his daughter or apprentice. Walking into the living room, he found out why. Both children were asleep on the floor, surrounded by puzzles.

* * *

Be kind, please review!


End file.
